Sponge for reducing gold and silver and other ores



UNITED STATES t PATENT OFFICE.-

ABRAHAM T. HAY, OF BURLINGTON, IOIVA.

SPONGE FOR REDUCING GOLD AND SILVER AND OTHER ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters i atent No. 399,527, dated March 12, 1889.

Application filed September 25, 1888.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM '1. .I'IAY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sponges for Reducing Gold and Silver and other Ores; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a flux or semi-metallic sponge to be used in the reduction of various ores belonging to the gold and silver groups. For the greatest economy, the sponge should vary in composition according to the proportions of the negativesthat is to say, the salts or oxides of the metals in the ore to be operated upon.

The object of the sponge is to utilize the superior affinities of the metalloids for the more positive of any two metals belonging to the same isomorphous group, in neutralizing and overcoming the alfinities of the metalloids E severally or collectively for the less positive metals with which the metalloids are combined in the ore and which it is desired to separate. For instance, the well-known superior affinity of sulphur for sodium over its affinity for silver is utilized in separating the sulphur and silver; but by my invention this principle is applied in adiiferent manner and with more advantageous results than heretople given above of the isomorphous sponge fore.

In order to make my invention clearly un- 1 derstood, I will describe, by way of example, a practical means of carrying the same into effect for the reduction, in this instance, of an ore containing gold and silver, copper, and lead.

In the furnace described in my patent dated October 9, 1888, No. 390,964, I place a charge of about seventy-five (75) parts, by weight, of iron oxide-such, for instance, as the Pilot Knob ore of Missouri-five (5) parts of aluminous substance-such as scrap brick-fivc erial No. 286,385. (specimens) (5) parts of crude potash, five (5) parts of carbonate or other oxide or salt of soda, and ten (10) parts of baryta or heavy sparand fuse the same by a pressure or fan-blast, using from twenty (20) to fifty parts of fuelsuch as coke or charcoalto every one hundred (100) parts of the above stock. During this operation the electrical force is applied to the coils, using for about two miles of wire a generator-say from four to six gravity gallon cellscare being taken, by judicious changes in the proportions of the elements of the stock and in the electrical force applied, to meet varying barometrical and other atmospheric conditions, and secure the desired result-namely, the production of a semi-1netallic ferruginous alkaline sponge.

This sponge is employed as a reagent in the proportion which will meet the requirements of the mineralized condition of the ore to be smeltedsay in the proportion of one or one and ahalf per cent. of the total stockand is charged into the ore-reduction furnace with the rest of the stock. In its result it largely promotes the reduction of the stock and liquefies the cinder to a remarkable extent.

It will be understood that my invention may be practically used without following exactly the proportions given, though I consider said proportions to be ordinarily the most economical and practical, and I therefore do not con fine my invention to said proportions or to the exact ingredients specified in the exam- 

